225/45 fit on standard rims and there's no rubbing on anything...ahem.......

A couple of guys running 235/35/19......IIRC Lloyd says he only gets some rub when car fully loaded.

Pancake pipe replacement?

Pancake pipe? Soon, very soon!

Is it worth me combining the later posts into the ones on the first page?

It is certainly worth just to condense your posts into a FAQ. PM me if you've forgotten how to

How about changing the spark plugs to something better for the remapped engine? Is it necessary, what is the standard plug anyway (it's not mentioned in the Owner's Manual), and would a change make any difference to performance? Then there's choice of oil - not strictly a mod, but it can make a measurable difference to mpg as VW discovered in tests involving Castrol Longlife SLX II. (Savings were up to 2.72% compared with using standard oil). That improvement in mpg is presumably down to less friction losses in the engine which in turn equals more power. So is a Longlife oil preferable to a 'standard' oil for a tuned engine?

Denis all I can add is intriguing question re Oil, I have been wondering if there is something better that can be used, might be worth a seperate post if answers arent forthcoming

Stuart

Originally posted by DGW in this post

How about changing the spark plugs to something better for the remapped engine? Is it necessary, what is the standard plug anyway (it's not mentioned in the Owner's Manual), and would a change make any difference to performance? Then there's choice of oil - not strictly a mod, but it can make a measurable difference to mpg as VW discovered in tests involving Castrol Longlife SLX II. (Savings were up to 2.72% compared with using standard oil). That improvement in mpg is presumably down to less friction losses in the engine which in turn equals more power. So is a Longlife oil preferable to a 'standard' oil for a tuned engine?

Denis,

I think the spark plug issue has already been covered; I can't find the thread, but I'm pretty sure it was started by one of our Greek colleagues talking about iridium plugs.

Absloutely right, Mike. This is the thread in question:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4586&highlight=iridium+plugs

I really posed the question to see if any of our more adventurous tuners have found it necessary to upgrade their plugs. But I would also like to know which grade of plug is recommended by Skoda and what the gap is. This is the first car I have ever owned which doesn't give that information in the Owner's Manual. I suppose I could go into a motor accessories shop and have a look in a spark plug spec book, but I would prefer to start with Skoda's recommendation first.

I thought I'd include my mod/price list, even if it's quite different from what you guys do over there in Europe. It might provide a good price comparison of Euro vs US prices.

In any case, here they are:

Speedy G's mods

I'd say all my mods are worth it. I'd only do 2 things differently. I'd buy a GT30 turbo at sea level instead of the T3 S60, or for a cheaper price get a T3/T4 E 40 trim. That would sacrifice some spoolup, but more HP would be possible, and nitrous would show more gains. Also, the walbro inline pump is noisy. I need to do something about that.

Mods in the works:

Intake manifold insulating gasket

ECS adjustable FPR (currently running rich)

General comments:

I think you guys spend too much on those remaps. Upsolute gives you enough improvement for a much lower price.

Also, I tend to disagree with the assessment that the gearbox needs replacement, or is too weak for more than a 50 shot. There's a GTI Vr6 around here running 400whp with an 02J tranny, which is just like the one in my Octavia, only he doesn't have a Peloquin LSD. He hasn't had any problems. Also, GTIs run 75 shots of nitrous all the time and the mainshaft doesn't break. Even Jabba thinks the tranny can stand 320 ft.lbs of torque with just an LSD modification. That amount of torque is good enough for 350+whp.

Speedy G

i have to ask which mods do you think are obligatory on Octavias. what kind of stuff you have to have. mine is brand new so i am working on a clean slate.

Re: Strut braces. Does the Audi S3 lower strut brace fit the Octavia? It's a common mod on MKIV Golfs. I have one with a Sparco upper strut brace as well and the front end of the car feels very solid.

Dearest Real Skoda ,

Do you think it might be worth updating the 'What mods are worth doing?' sticky? It's nearly a year old now and things have moved on just a little.

Specifically I'm looking at the recommendations re: tuners, the references to NOS (ie progressive controllers), blueflame downpipes and exhausts generally, big turbo upgrades, FMICs etc etc Quite a bit of the stuff you mentioned was 'in the pipeline' and unfortunately remains so or members haven't gone with what was recommended/tested.

This isn't a dig at the work that went into your original research (I've used it as a reference more than once) but I would imagine that as it's a sticky quite a few new members read it.

And before anyone starts, this is not a Jabba vs Revo, JBS vs whoever etc etc thread.

Fully agree, i am a new owner of a Occy VRS and would like to know the best at this time